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PLDN Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Winter Vacation. To Bunnie's Homeland. Sub-Entry 121: "Winter Vacation to Jang": Admittedly, it does not sit well with me to jump-skip this much in my logs. But I think...it is ultimately for the best. There was indeed aftermath to transpire. There was indeed conversation to be had. There would even be worries, reassurance, and semblance of planning on how to fix the mess that we had all made. In the heat of hte moment I held Sans accountable for a lot of it. I obviously blamed Chara for a lot. Of course...I'd reserve a dartboard for my despised nemesis who most assuredly threw more than a few monkey wrenches into this. I'd go about proving it and discovering how another day. But truth be told...I need only look into a mirror if I wanted to be honest with myself. The way I went about this? Yeah...how was I any better than Frisk or Chara with the power of reset? The only difference is, that it wasn't time I reset. Just memories...and only temporarily at that. I had an idea of how to go about restoring them, systematically. But that could wait. I also considered that this might be an opportunity to take advantage of the unstable timeline and look into the past...see just what I was dealing with. "Volt?" "...must've been on a snooze cruise, Azzy. Sorry." "It's probably best that I do the driving, right now. You must've had the worst of missions lately. You're overworked, over-stressed, and overemotional. In short, overdue for a vacation." "Yeah...I really am. Sorry to keep it classified." "Don't apologize. It's for everyone's protection. It's for our own good. Rules are meant to be followed, right?" "Most of them are. I'm guilty of--" "No bigger rule to follow than the golden rules of the heart. If it feels wrong to you, then you shouldn't do it, right?" "...yeah. I guess so. Even if it means a lecture or even an S.I. from the council, later. The greater good." "Anyway. We're almost to the port. Drew's waiting to take it for a spin." "So...what did he say when you told him he'd be sailing a golden ship to Jang?" "..." "...at least he took it well." "In five years, we've never sailed the Solaris." "And we're not worried about it getting attacked or stolen?" "Dr. Lynx says she has that covered." "Good thing she's coming along." "Yeah." "So...I guess we'll get a run-down of who all is coming once we arrive?" "This will be good for us all. Yes, even Antoine." That made me anime sweat drop. In no time we made it to the docks. There it was--the Solaris. Considering it was made of gold, one had to wonder just how in the world it stayed afloat. Nikita had offhandedly mentioned ancient gravity technology. Huh. I wonder how advanced the Lemurinopians really were? Bunnie was already present, squaring things away with Drew White. "Commander. Asriel-kun." "Major." "Hi, Sensei." "Violet is already aboard...and tormenting us with her usual antics." "Sally?" "Keeping her under control." We boarded, with luggage and gear. Eventually more of us showed up. Jon and Pit. Lupe and Rotor. Mitzi and Gadget. Dr. Lynx, of course. And the remaining members of Team Acorn. And yes...Antoine showed up. But we weren't the only ones who'd agreed to come along. Red couldn't miss this chance. Suzuka and company found their way on. VARS sisters, Angelika and Sophia tagged along. I remember seeing Vidian shadowform into Ivy's shadow with Lulu and Lagunov accompanying. Cid Padesh and Tina were there on their own separate vacation. We'd probably run into them later. Lastly Marcel and Josquin, followed by Kid the Cat. I guess everybody was getting into the act. Seemed like a lot of our friends were on the same page about a winter vacation. When I offered Chameleon and friends to join, the lizardman flat out refused. I knew he had...bad history with boats, but it didn't hurt to try. Ripper was noticeably disappointed. Sorry, hot shot. No driving the boat this time. But I think Tithius was more disappointed that he was going to miss out on a lot of Jangese treats. "Anything we should know on our voyage to Jang?" "I cannot stress enough," Dr. Lynx interjected. "We are guests in a foreign country. Be on your best behavior and do nothing to infringe upon their laws." "That is why we will be serving as guides, translators, and liasons." Bunnie assured. If you have any medications or cold or headache medicines I'll have to inventory them. Jang has a lot of restrictions on drugs and medications." Shrugs all around. A bit more prep and explanations and we were on the way. "So can you really power this thing with that old thing?" Drew seemed skeptical. "It works on the Golden Condor. The Solaris is made from the same ancient technology." Asriel looked over the console. Asriel separated the medallion--unlatching the large coin section from the crescent moon section. Hmm...from sun to moon. Clever those Lemurinopians were... "It should go right..." *click* The coin fit right in; clicking in place and resting flat. From there the masts unfolded its solar panel sails and the ship became wrapped in a glowing gold solar aura. "Is this for real?" Drew raised an eyebrow. "It's As-riel as it gets." Asriel winked. "Nice." Drew took his place at the wheel which hand deployed. "Final boarding call! All aboard!" The last procedures were taken care of and soon the ship was sailing. "Goodbye! Goodbye!" A crowd of our peers and family had seen us off from the harbor. Asriel got topside with the rest of us to wave and say our goodbyes. Next stop...Jang. Sub-Entry 122: "Cruise to Jang": The Solaris was deceptively fast for a sailing ship made of gold. At its current rate we'd reach Jang's shores in record time. We all got settled in in our own ways. Being that it was still winter on Fontraile, I opted to wait until we were in warmer seas to do anything top side. Asriel, having spent some of his childhood in Snowdin Town and enjoyed many a winter with us in Miranda was less bothered by it. I'd join him later. Bunnie spent her time in deep meditation and practicing her daily katas. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhm....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhm..." Rotor was rather surprised to find the ship was outfitted with plumbing and such. A fresh, clean water supply was something that even he didn't expect on the Solaris. Suffice to say he had much to pick his brain over. Sally was...a little more antsy being cooped up on a ship. Doing laps around the deck only went so far. Guess she was more at home in open spaces, roads, and free-running. "It's only for a bit, Sally girl...just...keep it together." I guess she and Lupe had a mutal fear of confinement. For Lupe it was more claustrophobia; cramped spaces. Mitzi made herself at home setting up a kitchen and such. With her doing the cooking, we had a lot less to worry about. Gadget hung around Violet to keep occupied...against my better judgement. Hence why Bunnie had to about twist her arm to make sure she kept it family friendly around my little sister; even though she had made the transition to college years by this point. Don't mess with the "mo-e" I say. But out of all of us? Antoine had it the worst. "Uuuuughhhhl...sacre bleu...*hiccup*...cheeeeeeeese..." It was about that time that Violet paid him a visit. "You don't look well, Ant. Can I get you anything? Water?" Antoine shook his head. "Crackers?" Antoine shook his head. That was about the time Violet's sadistic grinn went from ear to ear as her eyes disappeared under the shadow of her bangs. "How about an OCTOPUS CHEESEBURGER with a MUSTARD MILKSHAKE?" Shd suggested with plenty of emphasis on both. Antoine's eyes bugged out about three sizes larger as his jaw dropped...moments before he leaned over the edge of the ship and heaved. VIolet smuggly patted his back while he evacuated the contents of his stomach. Dammit, Vi. "Antoine! Hey, check it out!" Asriel's voice rang out as he skidded to a stop. "Rotor said we could catch fish. I didn't think we could because the ship's in motion and all, but I did it! I totally did it! Look at it! It's a WHOPPER!!!" Asriel gripped it with both arms, keeping his claws dug into it. Antoine slowly looked over, turned green and then bent over the side and unleashed the hounds, metaphorically. "Antoine? You okay?" "Oh yeah. He's totally 'gill-ing'. " Asriel snickered, momentarily distractedby the pun. "Seriously, Aunt Vi. He doesn't look well." "Yeah, he's kinda 'see' sick." "Sea sick?" "Yeah...he sees your fish and he gets sick!" That actually cracked Asriel up a bit. "Well, I hope he feels better, soon. I gotta show this to the others! We're going to have a seafood feast tonight!" As Asriel headed off, Antoine crumpled to the deck of the ship with a groan before passing out completely. "Good talk, Don Coyote." Violet headed on her way. She's becoming a real bad influence on Goat Son. Really...couldn't she save her tormenting for Al Dente? I knew I was becoming a real softie when I started taking pity on Antione. But never Alfred. He always had it coming. As the cruise continued we occupied ourselves in our own ways, both day and night. "Dinner time!" "Should we be worried that Violet's helping with the cooking?" "Probably. She said something about 'steamed clams'." "She's setting up a meme. I just know it, Azzy." I rubbed my temples. "Now serving--" Mitzi started before Violet set the tray down and pulled the cover off to reveal a small mountain of hamburgers. "Uh, Vi? This doesn't look like steamed clams." "No, no. I didn't say steamed clams I said 'steamed hams'." "Steamed...hams.......I know I'm going to regret asking but there's nothing ham about these. They're burgers." "Well that's my nickname for them. Steamed hams. Mmmmmm." Vi rubbed her belly. "Your nickname for hamburgers is steamed hams? I facepalmed. "Even though they're clearly flame broiled and not even made of ham." "Yup." A long round of silence all around." "I'd buy that for a dollar." Sally crossed her arms. "At least they're not hot dogs. As much as I should be complaining about grease and saturated fat intake...as an athlete,I think the protein content will supercede it. Besides...vacation only comes once every so often." "Now you're talkin', Sal. Whoever eats the fastest gets the most-est!" Red filled his plate and went to town. We dug in. They were good burgers, mind you. But I felt like we were walking into another of Vi's skits. "The kitchen better not be on fire down there." Jon smirked jokingly as he was already on his third helping. "You mean aurora borealis?" Vi raised her eyebrows in Dr. Wily fashion. "Aurora Borealis. At this time of year. In the middle of the ocean." I said dryly. "You know what? No. No. Not walking into this one." Asriel looked over. "Antoine not eating with us?" "He refused to partake in the burgers so, Violet volunteered to make him something else less...domestic." "I think that's a slight against American cuisine but I'll let it slide." I rolled my eyes. In hind sight I should have seen it coming. "What DID you make him?" Violet set the tray down before Antoine and lifted the lid. We were all ready for a big prank or something to jump scare him. To our suprise and my relief it turned out to be plain deli sandwiches on french bread. "Huh. Guess she held back." Asriel shrugged. Antoine dug in. He was quickly sold. That never happened. "Antoine likes them? The world's ending." Sally crossed her arms. "What eez zees remarkable concoction?" Violet casually explained. "Simple, really. A basic blend of chemical components that precisely duplicates the vitamins and minerals lost through epidermal elimination." A bit of silence. Nikita raised an eyebrow. Rotor suddenly looked...disturbed. "What eez madamoiselle say-eeng about zee vitamins and minerals...epi...dermal...?" Antoine bit clean into another sandwich. Asriel looked at me. I knew immediately. Dammit...of all things for Violet to learn from my mentor. I took a deep breath and swallowed and replied. "She says they're made of...synthetic....SWEAT!" Antoine's eyes bulged out. I expected him to spit the mouthfull of sandwich across the room. Instead he swallowed with some difficulty and slowly got up and turned around. "Antoine? Are you okay?" Asriel asked. And then came the screaming and the running. "Well. That was expected." I smoldered. "Nice, Vi. Nice." Sally said with a smirk before exchanging a fist-bump. Nikita shrugged and grabbed one of the sandiches off Antoine's plate and dug in. "Ewwwwwww, Dr. Lynx." "It is perfectly edible. No sense in letting good food go to waste." Yet another way that our secret nanomorph kept us in the dark about her true nature. I guess when you're completely made of nanites it doesn't matter in the least what you put in you. Of course there were the usual bevy of games and activities. Lupe, Asriel, and Gadget learned the fine art of shuffleboard. Apparently Dr. Lynx had modified the main deck of the Solaris (somehow) to include a pool. How she did so in such a short amount of time we wouldn't know then but would figure out years down the road. Nanotechnology is amazing, isn't it? Rotor and Sally enjoyed their pool time of course. Pit enjoyed the view from the crows nest...wait when did the ship get a crow's nest? I swear...this ship was transforming more and more by the minute. At the rate it was going we were going to be sailing an aircraft carrier into Jang's ports. A mix of ups and downs ensued during our voyage across the world. Sally enjoyed her moments of D.J.-ing, having brought the Support Units, too. "...and my next mix is a little Daft Punk x Young M.C. Here's 'Around the World' vs. Bust a Move'!" Mitzi and Willie did the karaoke nights in spades. But I suppose it was inevitable that Violet would revive her annoying tradition from five years ago when we took the flight to and back from Neo Arcadia City. "Oh no...not another of her live stream internet music video ripoffs..." I watched as various members of us, including Asriel, joined her in yet another shameless delve into pop culture and anime. Two birds with one stone. Dammit, Vi. We're going to get letters some day. "First things first, like Tony Stark, I'm a futurist! Got people behind the times feeling Hella pissed! And I'm still in the otaku business; games and anime, I'm totally down! Givin' lessons in collision and lighting physics. (Right, right!) You should want someone rad and rich like this! (Eh?) Drop a patch on my latest O.S. like this! Cop a Blue-Eyes, cop a Pot of Greed, cop a Dark Magician like this! High-heel sandals, silk kimono, and the Cyberdrive Gauntlet on my wrist! Keepin' my software clean; no phishing scams, never chase that! I'm rockin' on an octo-core CPU, makin' 2-0-1-8 phat! (What?) Dr. Wily got that Treble but where dat' Bass at? Got's a Venti size carrot frappucino, you should taste that." "I"m so Dandy! You ought to know! I'm sailin' like a boss! To Jang and to Little Tokyo! I'm so Dandy! The Solaris is solid gold! Remember my name, I'm the one you owwwwwwwwwwwwwe!" Bunnie covered her ears. I covered my eyes. "Really, Azzy? Five years older and you're still encouraging her?!" "Say baby, I do 'dis. I thought that you knew 'dis! Can't take my bars; you say screw dis'! My street cred ain't departed, it's only gettin' started, I'm as fresh as I'm sure that Al Dente just farted! I never shop at no department! I buy all my swag online, my credit cards are never declined, I got so much skrill skill, I spit diamonds so fine! So tell me who 'dat, who 'dat? That do that, do that? With my gamer handle trending, I thought you knew 'dat, knew 'dat! I be the V-I-O-L-E-T! My games be bought and sold! I hold down the internet cosplay business with some fame to behold!" At that moment Violet anime quickchanged into a cosplay of Space Dandy, complete with obnoxiously large black pompadour wig. "I'm so Dandy! You oughta know! I'm on Toonami! Along with that Dragon Ball Super show! I'm so Dandy! Can't have what I got! It's all about the bootie, baby! That's the Dandy Way, is it not? Don't crash my hard drive! Let's punk some n00bz on the message boards! Make the Skype call! Feels so good gettin' shares and likes all the time! Yeah keep on subscribing to my stuff! Retro, Remastered, I don't give a fluff! No Standard Editions, only Deluxe! I love this life so very much! (OWWW!!!) Still doing no-damage runs, baby! Got the whole world askin' how I does 'dat! SeXXXy Sandals say you can't touch 'dat! I bet you're wishing you could crush 'dat! Just the way I like that. I'm never sayin' I wish I could buy 'dat. If I feel like I'll burn some money! That's a hot one? Like Master Splinter, I just made a funny!" "Could you not speak my sensei's name so casually?" Bunnie crossed her arms. "I'm so Dandy! You gotta know! I nabbed the props from Wayne's World; I did the grab-and go! I'm so Dandy! I do what I know! Goin' to WWE Fastlane with my ronin rabbit beeeeeau!!! Violet's really going to drag him to that? Does Usagi even like pro wrestling? I slunk down in my lawn chair. "What was it I said about getting there being half the fun, Bunnie?" "That whoever said it should be dragged out into the street and shot." "I reaffirm that notion." "Seconded." Sub-Entry 123: "Strangers in a Strange Land": "We're almost to port , everyone. I really hope you have a way of making this thing inconspicuous or this thing's going to be stolen and sold on the black market before we can blink." "Our disguise problem is well in hand." Nikita assured. Just ready everyone for departure. I'm already intiating the preparations." "Hey, what are we going to do about our stuff and gear?" "Megami has arranged for it to be transported to my family temple. Worry not. It's all in good hands." Bunnie turned to Asriel. "You however need to safeguard Esteban's medallion with your life." "Understood, sensei." "Bunnie, if you would clear things with Harbor Patrol, we can arrive at Port Zuang with no problems." Bunnie nodded and made the necessary communications in Jangese. Sure enough once we were outside the ship. "Uh...it sure....downgraded in a hurry." Rotor looked a little stunned. "It's just polymorphic camoflague. No one's going to question a ship that looks like it was dredged up from wreckage under the sea." Dr. Lynx assured. "You didn't have to make it look THAT convincing, Doc." Drew almost underwhelmed. "I don't think we have to worry about it getting stolen. Getting impounded for being unsafe? That's a possibility." I mused. It was a simple process of going through customs and such. It went smoothly. Until... *SLAM* Antoine moaned as he collapsed against the bars of the jail cell. "Goddammit, Antoine..." I moaned as I accompanied Bunnie to the station to post his bail "You weren't kidding about them being very strict about what medications you can bring into the country. Who knew nasal spray could get you into this much trouble?" Asriel observed. "By the book from here on out. Are we clear?" Nikita scolded as Bunnie and Violet pulled enough strings to get him released. "Well that was embarassing." Sally wrinkled her nose. As we headed out, Vi took a moment to whap him over the head. Being that were were in a port town far from the city or from Bunnie's home area, it didn't take long for us to pick up whispers and murmurs from the natives. It was by far more pious than I was expecting. But were were a long way from the capital. Probably close to rural area. Farming communities and villages on the outskirts. Everything looked humble if not primative. It was kinda hard to tell anything was oriental, really. "Uh...should I be offended by being called a gaijin?" "No. It colloquially means 'foreigner'. Which most of us are." A lone human child looked up at Jon. "狼のどのような巨大な！" "Uh...Bunnie?" He sweatdropped. Bunnie smirked. "はい。はい、彼はあります." Bunnie replied. "What did you both say?" "She said 'what a huge wolf'. And I replied. Yes. Yes he is." "Thanks...I think." Chuckles all around. "I suppose when we get to the city we'll be quite the center attention of many shutterbugs." "Oh come on, Nikita. That sounds like a generalization." "But true, Willamina. Photography both digital and tradition are very big business here not to mention a social norm. The invention of social media and cloud storage have only amplfied it from earlier days. Plus, I remind you we are foreigners in a foreign country. While there is tourism, Jang is not like Kaeleron or Fontraile; the melding pots of the world. THe population is almost entirely Jangese rather than mixes of immigrants. We will stand out a lot." "Solid point, Major." I rubbed my chin. "I have already made the necessary money conversions and distrubuted a set allowance to each of you as well as contact information and such should you be separated from the group." "And some of us, like yours truly carry plenty of translator apps on their smart phones." Violet winked. "Dualy noted." Bunnie narrowed her eyes. More whispers and murmurs. And even a couple of dirty looks. "I don't get a good feeling from this." Rotor said, rather nervously. "There is unfortunately an underlying suspicion of outsiders by most of this town. Not all visitors from foreign lands have brought fortune in Jang's past. Some see outside influence and the spread of Westernism as an...impurity. Need I remind that Western Civilization brought firearms to this country in more ancient times. Speaking of which, civilians carrying firearms is far more illegal than possession of drugs and medications not on the "okay list"." Bunnie reminded no one in particular. "Oh." Asriel looked off to the side, the dejection in his eyes obvious. "Do not despair. We will reach the train station soon enough. It will take us to Midori no Oka." Of all of us, though, Pit was the one getting the most looks; probably the warmest reception out of all of us, by comparison. "Why do they stare at me like that? And why do they call me...tenshi?" "It means angel. I believe they are viewing you as a sign of good fortune. Everyone else...a mixed bag." "Hmm..." Pit contemplated that. "This isn't the first time you've returned here to Port Zuang, isn't it, Major?" I observed. "Good memory, Commander. It was when Nalaar was giving us trouble. We went to Jang to seek out the Order of the Lotus, where we learned Nalaar's orijins as a betrayer of the order, having commited taboo acts of the profane in his rise to power and descent into something less than humanoid. Our contact met us at the very bullet train station where we'll head to Midori no Oka." "I read the report. Dr. Lynx was with you at the time, right?" "As were Princess Ivy, Sir Alistair, Lagunov, and Cid Padesh. And Vidian, though albeit late, due to having remained dormant within Ivy's shadow for a lengthy period." My lycan god-daughter or...whatever relation she was to me hand an interesting way to get around. Being a werewolf shadow-bender/shadow-mancer had its perks. "Man, I have so many of your adventures to catch up on. Life wasn't any less exciting before I came around, huh?" Asriel sweatdropped. "But still a puzzle with a piece not yet added, my student." "You're gonna make me blush." "Anyway. It should be a smooth ride from here to there." "Provided we are not ambushed by ninja assassins." "Never pegged you for the type to buy into pop culture stereotypes--" "No, she is speaking from experience. We were actually ambushed on the bullet train by ninja enemies." "And you were saying zees was going to be a safe trip?" Antoine blanched. Mitzi withheld a giggle. "Relax. We do not anticipate intruders on this trip. This is peace time. Let us enjoy the momentary calm." "Right as rain, Major." And that of course led us to the bullet train. By now most of us knew what to expect. Even Asriel had a pretty good idea. Sub-Entry 124: "Bullet Train to Midori no Oka": "Mmmmn...just feel that electromagnetic resonance! DAMN! You know what this means?" "Yeah, put your credit cards in lead-lined wallets." Violet joked. "Uh...you're the only one of us who can sense and manipulate magnetic fields, boss." Drew pointed out. "Oh yeah. That is kind of a thing, huh?" "Sleek. Reminds me of the mag-lev monorails back in Technopolis." "Where do you think they originated from?" "Touche, old friend. Guess not everything came from the tech giants of the world." Sally mused. "Guess that's one that Mainland and Appra don't have on us, either." "It's not a contest, Honey." "That's not what they think." "Eesh. Can we steer away from talk about commercial-industry and business? We're on vacation!" Red complained, finally breaking his silence. "Very well." Our tickets were secured and we soon stepped aboard. "The pride of Jang. Upwards of 300 miles per hour." "That's one way to get to the office on time." "What did we just say about business talk!" Red sneered. A momentary chuckle. Once aboard... "Very luxurious." "All the modern conviniences at your disposal." "Sweet! The Li-Fi got bandwidth almost as rockin' as the Tokugawa satellites. I'm totally uploading some awesome." Vi said, plugging the GTR-084's USB firewire into a socket. "Saw that coming." Mitzi mused. "How's the dining experience?" "You'll be pleasantly suprised." "Well the only pleasantry I'm up for right now is a movie and a nap. This trek out here has tired out my paws." Jon collapsed into a seat and put on the noise-cancelling headphones, opening up the TV screen in the back of the seat in front of him. "Jon too tired to eat? This IS a special occasion." Honey prodded. "Woo. That was a quick upload. Let's see how the streaming holds up--" Bunnie siezed Violet by the shoulder. "No. Improptu. Music videos." "Awww MAN!" "Tough luck, Aunt Vi." "If you're done embarassing yourself, Violet, listen up. That goes for everyone. Once we arrive at Midori no Oka, we'll be headed to remote part of it known as Musubime. That is where my family temple mansion is. Fair warning...you're in for a climb." "It's not one of those 1,000 step staircases is it...it is, isn't it?" I sweatdropped. "Hey, a track is a track, whether it's flat and level, or an ascending staircase." "Of course YOU find the bright side of a climb up the stairway to heaven." Rotor crossed his arms. "It'll be good exercise. It'll build character." Asriel beamed. "I will have to attend to expediting our belongings to the temple as well as make some arrangements. You will have to go on ahead until everything is squared away." "How long will that take?" "It will take as long as it needs to." Bunnie assured. "Dr. Lynx will accompany you while Megami and I finish up the necessary errands." "Y'know it's a bit cramped in here. Too much sitting around for my style." "Just deal with it, Sally. The high speed means we won't be here that long--" "Wait! What are you doing?!" Sally pulled open the window. "Gonna stretch my legs." "Are you INSANE?! You're jumping out of a bullet train, moving at 300 mph!" "Heh." Sally smirked as she leaped out and deployed the Tengu Suit in Gamma mode then fired up its butterfly burrners, "Sallyyyyyy!!!!" "It'll be fine, Commander." Bunnie assured, moments before the sound of another window opened and compounded the already roaring winds pouring into the train. "...I suppose I should have seen that coming." Bunnie lowered an eyebrow as Violet waved and tumbled out the window as her jet pack thrusters fired up. "Goddammit..." I muttered. Sally and Violet took flight above the train in a lengty double-corkscrew path; spiraliing like a pretzil twist for a bit. It of course drew a lot of attention from the other passengers on the train. The cameras came out and the two princesses took turns photobombing each other in the air. After a bit Violet landed on top of the train to do some surfing while Sally touched down on the ground and continued running at 300+ miles per hour, keeping pace with the train for a bit, overshooting it to show off and then falling back to pace again. It didnt' take long for her to be recognized. After so many OGPX Circuit tours in Jang, yeah...Sally was a world-wide celebrity. Oh boy. Just wait til' we got to the city. I wonder how many autographs she was prepared to sign? "Why do I even say we're going to have a long talk about this, when Violet keeps skipping out on this?" "This time it was Sally who prompted her action." I rubbed my eyelids, sighed deeply, then called for the attendent to bring a cola and something to snack on. Sally of course ended up racing us all the way to Midori no Oka. Again my Terrain Master showed off just how she got her title. I looked over as Red sunk his shark teeth into the biggest turkey leg I had ever seen. I think if Jon weren't snoozing, he would have made him extremely jealous with hunger. Everyone else found ways to occupy themselves. Maybe I was the one who needed to be reminded this was a vacation and there would be time to worry about things another day. It's not like we'd be chasing after Team Acorn's members all day, right? Sub-Entry 125: "Jangese Homecoming/Rabbotou Temple Mansion": "C'mon, slowpokes!" "Doesn't Team Acorn ever run out of steam?" Jon was panting heavily by that point. "Ah, you just need to dig deep, Jonny!" "Easy for you to say, Red! The Null Armor is doing all the work! Not all of us have rocket jets!" I shook my head. "Did Bunnie seem in good spirits to you guys?" I asked Rotor and Lupe. "She did seem less...umm..." "Yeah. I know, right? When was the last time she took a vacation back to her home." "When it wasn't a mission?" I observed. "That's a good question. I'm tempted to say 'never'." "The gates ARE going to be unlocked when we get to the top, right? I don't want to get all the way up and spend hours waiting for its master to return with the key." "I could fly over and unlock the doors from the inside." Pit volunteered. "Let's call that Plan B." I shrugged. "The wildlife around here is beautiful. I cannot recall ever seeing flowers and trees like these, before." Lupe seemed fascinated. "It's just brimming with life force...with mana." "I can tell you're happy." I mused. "How about you, little sister? Mitzi?" "This is so much fun! I'm not tired at all." "I guess it's a good thing she has youth on her side and I've been keeping up with my training; even at my age." Mitzi seemed to be in good spirits. "When we get to the top, tell me. I think I'm going to lose my lunch." Jon whimpered. "Considering how big a lunch you had when you woke up? That's not gonna be a pretty picture." Violet teased. Disregarding Team Acorn making it a race, Asriel lead the way for the rest of us. "Good workout." He shrugged. Wrench the rabite had come along and hitched a ride atop Azzy's head. He didn't mind. The rest of us non-UCIAT had kept either quiet or in their own clique and conversations. Ashitaka and Shinju decided to assist Bunnie and Megami with expediting our luggage and belongs, leaving Suzuka to perch on Nikita's shoulder in fox form. It was rather suprising that Dr. Lynx would allow a traveling company. She'd always been distant and antisocial. Maybe I shouldn't think too deep into it. "We're almost there, guys and gals." "Not counting Team Acorn already waiting for us at the top." Red prodded. Okay, that was worth a chuckle. Once at the top... "This gate..." Asriel looked at the red "smile"-shaped archway held up by red columns. "It's just like the ones back at Rabbotou Dojo." "According to Bunnie, they're called "Torii Gates". They mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred." "Torii? Sounds almost like Tori. My dad, Asgore had a nickname for my mom, Toriel. He called her 'Tori' and she called him 'Gorey'." Asriel rubbed his chin. We all stepped through and apprached the main gates. "Go ahead, Goat Son." "Okay. If you're sure it's okay." Asriel pushed the gates open with a bit of effort. Oohs and ahhs all around as we gazed into the giant spacious Jangese courtyard within. "Generations ago the Rabbotou clan would have morning drills for a veritable army of samurai in training on these very grounds." Dr. Lynx explained. "To be alive in that era..." Asriel pondered. No sooner did he set foot through the doorway...! "Uh...guys? I think we have company." I was next in. "Uh-oh." I saw them, too. Warriors of some kind. There seemed something...stiff about them but their martial arts skill and their tonfas were defnitely not something to underestimate. "Are those...samurai?" Willamina asked. "No samurai depicted in any known texts, scrolls, or archives." Dr. Lynx narrowed her eyes as Suzuka arched her kitsune back. "If anything the closest match is the foot soldiers of a ninja tribunal." "They don't look too friendly." "Someone's got some explaining to do." Jon complained. "Maybe I will be sit-eeng zis one out, no? I am to be coming back later, yes--" "Get back here, Chicken Bittle." Violet yanked Antoine back. "You're a soldier, right? Well, then...after you, lunch meat!" Violet shoved him in, causing him to stumble ahead of Asriel. A hard swallow followed by Antoine reaching for his sword. "And here's were calamity coyote--" Antoine drew the blade. "...huh. He actually succeeded in drawing that thing without the hilt coming off the blade. There's a first. "En g-g-g-guarde!" Antoine held up the blade sloppily and tried to swing. He ended up missing by a mile as his opponent barely had to dodge to avoid it. With a retaliating counter the ninja struck the rapier with their tonfa, detatching the blade from its hilt and send it spinning toward the gate where it thunked into the wood, missing Red. "HEY! Watch it!" A moment of silence before Violet broke it on cue. "...and there it is. Nice, Antoine. Nice." "Uh...I think we're all next!" Asriel was confronted by one. It seemed like the numbers were growing. "Where are they coming from?!" I looked around...and watched one literally peel away from the surrounding wall surrounding the entire area. "Oh...that's definitely a ninja class disguise." "Nevermind that! Beat em' down!" "Red, wait!" I protested as he quickly deployed the recently overhauled Null Armor. With Null's A.I. rolled way back, a lot of features had to be modded, too. He drew his H.F. blade and charged in. "Get wrecked, dipsh--" Each of us was fining ourselves against ninja opponents. "You know this seems right out of an old movie. Seriously, is this for real? Is this really happening?!" Honey complained as she match tonfas with her Tengu Suit's own Tornado Tonfas. "I don't want to have to hurt you but I will attack if you leave me no choice!" I built up a large electric tangle between y fingers before discharging it as a beam. It struck my opponent head-on, but...! "That's impossbile! Even with insulated armor you should have at least winced!" My bolt dispersed like it struck a nonconductor. A thought occured to me...but no...that couldn't be possible! Gadget whimpered as she fumbled to reach into her backpack and fish out a weapon...any weapon. Instead she stumbled backward onto her rump. With a yelp she braced for a fierce blow...but no attack ever came. She opened her eyes and looked up. Her opponent gestured to the side. "Huh? Are you...letting me go?" It was obvious by their body language that they were unwilling to fight an unarmed civilian; especially one with considerably less fighting prowess. "Uh...thank you!" Gadget scampered off out of the way. "Weird..." Elsewhere Drew was attempting to use his sound magic with his weaponized speaker orbs to no avail. "It's like they're deaf or something. They vibrations should at least be rattling them." That was right about the time Violet's spear was knocked out of her hands. Violet put up her dukes, expecting retaliation. She was gutsy enough to go up against an armed opponent without a weapon. Bet she was wishing we hadn't confiscated all her guns and gizmos before entering Jang. "Okay, punk, let's dance...!" But to Violet's suprise. "Huh? What the Hell?" Her opponent stopped attacking an seemed to be waiting for her. "C'mon. What are you waiting for?" Her opponent looked off to where the Thunder Spear had landed. "You're...letting me get my weapon...in the middle of a battle?" A nod. "Uh...cool...?" Violet retrieved her weapon and resumed. "They sure don't fight like ninjas." Violet observed. "No. No they do not." Nikita narrowed her eyes, arms behind her back, jumping backwards, nimbly, and refusing to fight back. "Why is Nikita the only one unarmed who they're insisting on attacking?" It seemed as they could sense how dangerous she really was underneath her facade. "Hey! Back off!" Suzuka made the transformation out of her kitsune form into her humanoid form, fox ears twitching. "You're mocking us, aren't you?!" Red ignited his HEAT blade and attempted to chop. But his opponent caught the blade between their fingers. "H...how did you DO that?!" Red soon found his weapon wrestled away with one hand. It clattered to the ground and extinguished. "Dude. Your hand is on fire. Don't you feel that?!" Red's opponent merely looked at their hand for a moment before a wisp of leaves coiled around it and snuffed the flames. By that point their hand had to have been seriously burned. But... It was about that time Ivy had unsheathed a blade that Bunnie had bequeathed to her as her sensei many, many years ago and delivered a two-handed swing before cutting their cymbal-like hat in two pieces. But she had swung too hard and dug too deep with the blade. That's when we all saw it. "!!!!!" Wood. Its head was featureless and made of wood. And Ivy had split it down the middle. But to her horror the blade was forced out as the wood sealed back up, becoming whole again. "Why...! They're not even HUMAN!" Violet cried out, in her impression of Johnny Turbo. "They're...wooden dummies?" "Almost like a variant of the legendary shikigami--the paper doll demons." Nikita observed. I felt like this situation had happened somewhere and somewhen else. That was when we heard it at the gate. "TOMARE!" We all whirled. All eyes were on the lavishly dressed figure who had entered the gates. Ceremonial kimono and accessories, geta block sandals, blond hair done up in a very regal style, and wearing a Noh mask, to obscure her identity. But I recognized the voice. "Bunnie?" I uttered. With that the figure held up a pentagonal-cut block of wood with Jangese characters etched on it. It lit up and cycled through a rainbow of colors before each of the ninja wooden dolls lined up in parallel rows and kowtowed. "却下された." "What?" I cocked my head. "I think she said...dismissed." Asriel shrugged as he lowerd the NX Sabres. One by one, in perfect cadence, the wooden dolls marched back to whence they came and melded back with the wall. "Major? Explain." I was dead serious. "I apologize. It would seem I'd forgotten about them when I went off to retreive our belongings." "What...were those?!?" Red demanded as he collapsed his armor back into Null's punk guitar form, which Violet had restored. "木製の奉仕者 . In essence, the Shiba Temple Grounds' burglar alarm." "That's some burglar alarm, Buns." Sally got to her feet. "And effective. Normally I just deploy the Kuroko to chase away intruders. However--" "Um...by the way, Buns. What's with the uh--?" Bunnie didn't answer. Because that point our attention was diverted to something new...or rather someone new. 侵入者。 Came the masked voice. I was certain it was being disguised by a vocoder or a voice amp like Sir Alastair's armored suit made use of. "What did they just call us?" Vidian tensed. "Intruders." Bunnie replied, keeping the Noh mask and garb on. Sub-Entry 126: "Challenge of the Caretaker/Reunion" The newcomer was on horseback. The horse was rather armored up at that, as was his rider. "Full armor samurai? Yikes." Mitzi tensed. "And I think he means business." "この寺院は聖地です。 私は私の名誉と人生でそれを守ります。" "What did he say?" "That this temple is sacred ground. The he will defend it with his honor. With his life." あなたが持っている貴族の義務。 Shikashi, anata wa kono jiin no shishō ni kansha suru koto ga kenmeideshou. <しかし、あなたはこの寺院の師匠に感謝することが賢明でしょう。> Nikita translated. "She says you have a noble duty. However you would be wise to acknowledge this temple's master." Bunnie held up the talismin. それがラボトウ族の財産です。 それは泥棒の手の中に場所がありません。 一度にそれを返す。 あるいは私はそれを強制的に取る。 "You get any of that, Dr. Lynx?" "He says the talismin is property of the Rabbotou Clan. It has no place in the hands of a thief. Return it at once. Or I shall take it by force." "Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you're asking for a CHALLEEEEEEEEEEEEENGE?!?" Violet did in her best Stinko-Man impression. Nikita whapped her in response. Bunnie approached, drawing a samurai sword. Not her usual Shinobi Katanas. The rider dismounted and approached, drawing his own blade. "Oh boy. This is gonna get intense." Rotor looked worried. "Don't worry. Buns has got this." "Show that creep who's boss." "I don't know...that dude looks pretty diesel." Honey looked on. "They may be more evenly matched than we thought." Ivy warned, folding up her wings. "Listen. No matter what happens..." I advised. "Don't get involved." Asriel finished. "Yeah. I get it. This is a battle of honor. The code of bushidou must be observed or Bunnie forfeits the battle and her honor. She'll have no choice but for all of us to leave in disgrace." A shared bow. Then both slipped into their own stance. "あなたは泥棒のことをよく知っています." "What?" Mitzi scratched her head. "I know I was in for a lot of the native language but I'm seriously wondering if anyone in Jang speaks common?" Marcel kept back with Josquin hovering by his side. "Bet you wish you had paid attention to all those lessons Bunnie tried to give back home?" Violet prodded. "Now's not the time, Vi." He warned. "Hush up. It looks like the battle's about to--" And the clash of metal began. Over and over steel impacted steel "For a guy in armor he moves swift. That thing's not slowing him down at all." "Bunnie's no slouch either. In those robes, accessories and block getas, she's moving around like a boss." Jon watched. "As a tailor I should know how much clothing should hamper a normal person in action." Sparks of steel on steel sprayed from each impact. There were many close shaves. At one point, her opponent's sword shaved a millimeter above the surface of her Noh mask. At another point her blade grazed an unprotected part of the armor where two pieces of metal met. "I've never seen anyone jump so effectively in block getas. Let alone do a quardruple axle spin in midair." "Or anyone sommersault in heavy armor and manage to keep that kabuto helmet and faceplate on without incident." Asriel's eyes widened the moment Bunnie's blade was stricken from her hands. "Oh no! She's gonna lose!" Gadget whimpered. "Wait for it." Violet said, surprisingly profoundly. As the sword thrust toward Bunnie...! *CLAP* "That's shiharadori!" Asriel recognized the fabled sword-catching technique. Bunnie had stopped the blade an inch from her head, catching it between her two palms. "It gets better." Violet mused. *SNAP* "Holy crap, she just broke the blade off with her bare hands. "YEEE-AAAAAAH!!!" Bunnie's cry reverberated throughout the temple as the blade thrust toward the unprotected neck underneath the helmet. "She wouldn't--!" Moment's passed. "Relax, kid. She didn't." I patted Asriel on the shoulder. "I believe we can speak in Common now. I can tell you're not the usual caretaker." "No common thief would be able to master that technique. You are this temple's true master." "Perhaps it is time we revealed ourselves to each other...Grand Master Bunnie Meiru Rabbotou." "Perhaps it is..." Bunnie reached up and pulled off the Noh mask at the same time her opponent removed his face plate. "...Miyamoto Usagi." "My BOYFRIEND is Rabbot Dojo's caretaker?!?" Violet blurted out. "It would appear I have much explaining to do. An anime quick-change from Bunnie and Usagi. Bunnie tightened her pink Ryu headband as Usagi fastened his rope sandals on and brushed off his ronin samurai gi. "I regret to inform that the previous caretaker has left this world. They bequeathed unto me the responsibility of Rabbotou Dojo's caretaking. As a ronin samurai I am prepared to defend it from all threats, foreign and domestic. With my life if need be." Bunnie smiled. "You serve our clan well. I thank you, Miyamoto-san." "So...you've been here the last 5 years?" "No wonder you blew me off when I asked you out on a date. And I thought you were being overly serious about long-distance relationship. Y'know a lagomorph that takes his job that seriously is such a turn-on for me." "You are being rather untruthful, Murasakiiro-chan." "Murasakiiro?" "It's Jangese for "Violet"." "Guilty as charged. Well, one thing I ain't lying about is that I'm no longer pissed about five years of putting your job above your boo. Now that we're here together in person." "Oh get a room, you two." Mitzi rolled her eyes. "So...not be forward or anything, but--" Megami was suddenly standing there with the luggage and gear. "...she's good." Megami bowwed to Usagi and conversed in Jangese. "Come. We will tour the temple mansion and show you to your quarters. And we will have a feast prepared." "Now you're talking!" Jon's tail was wagging. In a matter of hours we were situated. We received the grand tour of the place. And wow, what a place. Usagi wasted no time in showing exactly why it was called a temple mansion. "Well, it's surprisingly fit to compare to Little Tokyo Palace, Buns. Who know you were loaded?" "Rich? Not by your standards. Our family's wealth is not something we publically tie to our legacy. It's there when we need it and it serves us as necessary. However unlike the Tokugawas we have not the excess to use frivolously." "Sucks to be you, I guess." Violet mused with a sassy tone. Dinner was prompt and consisted of Megami's amazing cooking over a fiery hibachi. "I never want to eat anywhere else again..." Rotor gleefully enjoyed seconds. We were each shown to our own quarters. It was similar to the barracks in the Thirteen Court guard squad...but fancier. "This futon is a lot bigger than I was expecting." Lupe observed as she set down the potted plant on the table. That night we slept comfortably. For tomorrow, Bunnie would take us to the place she did a lot of training on her own as a child. Sub-Entry 127: "Journey to Minamijima. A Sister City's Island Twin": "...we travel there by boats." "Nice." "You were only four when you ventured out there on your own? Dang. You were self-sufficient long before your time." "It was necessary to live up to my family legacy. Even that early on I had to grow up faster than any child probably should. Such is the way of the Rabbotou Clan." "That's really something, sensei." Asriel looked on as we crossed the body of water. "Is that it?" "That's it. Minamijima." "What does it mean?" "South Island." "No kidding, Bunnie?" "I do not make light of such things, Sally." "Sorry. It's just that...Edoropia had a South Island, too. It was said to be a mirror copy of this one here in Jang." "Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Both were said to be the site of peoples from the fabled Lemurinopia." I wasn't sure but I could have sworn that Nikita's expression was...odd when Bunnie had mentioned that. Was that our first clue about who she really was? "What can you tell us about Minamijima?" "It is a remote part of Midori no Oka. An island with unique flora, geography, and geology. Ancient totems and such among flowers and palm trees. Watefalls and log bridges. Spiraling paths, and geo-structures that nature has carved into loop-de-loops. Unique marble paths with strange etchings. It's the most un-Jang like place in Jang." "You know...based on your description, Bunnie...it sounds a lot like...something I've seen or heard of before." Violet seemed perplexed. "Well, her description is spot on for Ecotropia's South Island...before it was destroyed by Vorostov. Now it's just desert area, forgotten monuments and geolyths." "You know, I've been thinking about it for a bit, sense. You said this city is named Midori no Oka....I think I know those words from your teachings at some point. Doesn't it it translate to....Green Hi--" "Guys? We're getting close to shore." "Already? Seemed like a much shorter trip than the distance from here to there implied." "Sometimes the reality is its own illusion." Bunnie smirked. "Land ho, team." Drew announced as his boat ran around first. "Oh to be out off of that terr-ee-bleh boat and on sol-eed ground!" Antoine fell to hands and knees and proceeded to kiss the ground...only to realize he was kissing sand. Which of course resulted in a lot of spitting and cleaning the sand off his lips and tongue. Ewww. We all stepped out onto the beach and made our way to the main land. The geography changed near instantly from beach and ocean to grassland with flowers. Bunnie wasn't kidding they WERE strange flowers. Almost like...spikey pinwheels. Maybe it was just my imagination but were some of them bouncing? And were some of them spinning like windmills. You know Violet was right...this WAS familiar...somehow. I had seen something like this on another world. Was it Mobius? I...was finding it hard to remember Mobius, despite the parallels between its people and my own Ultra Crew Institute members. But since I left it behind...I felt my connection to that world...slipping away. Only recently would I learn that the dimension had completely closed off and seemingly vanished from any shape or form in the UltraVerse. It had to exist somewhere in the Axis of Reality...but if it was accessible, somehow? I would not discover a way any time soon if at all. I digress. This place. Yeah...Asriel was saying something about the translation earlier. I had heard those words, too. But... Easy, Volt. Rest your brain. "This is my kind of place. Look out open it is. It's like an obstacle course." "Or an OGPX track." Sally said as she powered on the Tengu Suit and chose ARZ-Xi mode. Air-based, light-as-a-feather, and incredibly nimble in the air. This was the configuration she chose when she wanted her move set to be a ballerina who made gravity her servant. "Girls. If you please?" Sally took a track-runner position. "Azzy, get some video of this. This is gonna be sweet." "Huh? Oh yeah." Asriel dug out his JVC cam-corder. Still an antique, albeit upgraded. And with that Sally and Team Acorn tore off, searing neon blue, yellow, and red light contrails in a path through the obstacles of Minamijima. "Wow, look at them go." Gadget observed. "You get used to seeing it after a while." Rotor mused. "Speak for yourself. Every time one of you make your fancy entrances, I about have a heart attack." Cid Padesh had also come along, Tina accompanying. "In this case it's more of an exit." Bunnie mused as Sally and company soared up a loop-de-looped shaped arch in the stone structure. As they zipped across platforms and bridges over troubled water, they put on quite a show. "Whoah, did they just disappear down a tunnel?" Bunnie smirked briefly. Yeah...there were definitely parallels that were beyond uncanny. "I think somewhere out there...our mutual friend is enjoying a chilidog with a big grin on his face." Rotor patted Bunnie on the shoulder. "Yes. I believe so. I believe some day Sally will reunite with him once again. From there? Even my sixth sense can't tell." "It would be nice, wouldn't it sensei? For old friends to have a reunion." Asriel chimed in. A thought occured to me. I was really tempted to find a way for Asriel to have a reunion with Chara. His Chara, not the brat that escaped to from us into Adonis' clutches. Problem is, one was dead, the other alive. One was a spirit, one still had breath in his lungs, blood in their veins, and a strong heartbeat. Strange that it should be Asriel with those things and not Chara. The first monster with all three. No. He was a Hybrid like us, now. So...when I thought about it...how would he ever go back to his people when he wasn't one of them anymore? How would I arrange it? The first method was...probably the one that would cause the most trouble; changing Asriel into a spirit form. I didn't feel comfortable about giving him one of my soul candies. Nor did I want to borrow Rukia's glove. And furthermore the incineration I was in for once old man Yamamoto had me dragged to his desk and punished for breaking the rules again? Not worth it. The second method meant calling in a favor from hat-and-clogs himself, Kisuke Urahara. In essence, have him make a gigai or "faux body" for Chara in order for her to step into the world of the living and visit. Chances are...that would get a lesser punishment if one was waiting, and cause the least complications. Yet...I still felt like it would come at some sort of price I wasn't seeing. Oh well. If I ever figure this out, it'd make the best Birthday or Christmas present for Asriel, yet. Speaking of Chara...I needed to have a pow-wow with her. She needed to be assured the Wraith was still festering in the containment unit, Asriel was still doing fine, and of course updated on the news of her worse half. I wonder how she'd take it; learning that she had a counterpart who was a dude...and a total jerk. Still...why did I feel like he wasn't completely irredeamable? Maybe it was because it was the same feeling I had with Chara-Wraith way back when. But I was certain of one thing. Their determination was far greater than what I had anticipate. The would be a much more formidable opponent if...or rather when the revenge came. "Yo, Commander!" "Huh?" "You were on a snooze cruise. We gonna check out the island or what?" Bunnie was already leading us around, showing her favorite training spots. "...dude! You did that bonus round thing from Mortal Kombat? No wonder you took interest in Kari Kazushige when she was doing her training, breaking impossible stuff." "Whatever happened to karate masters breaking wooden boards?" Drew asked offhandedly. "We still do that. But some of us want something more...challenging." Bunnie cracked her knuckles as she put the large jade emerald slab on the two stone posts. A bit of focusing followed by... "YAAAAAAAH!!!!" *SMAAAAAAAAAAASH* "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Red raised an eyebrow. "That's sensei." Ivy had a brief moment of being smug. Vidian nodded in agreement. "Hey. You gonna keep practicing til' you can do that, Cinnamon Roll?" Violet noogied Asriel. "D-Don't noogie the goat son! But...uh...I think I'll hold off on that for a while. A guy's gotta know his limits, right?" "Wise, Asriel. Very wise." Bunnie assured. A bit later Team Acorn backtracked. "Yeah, that was TIGHT!" "A little retro one-liner there, Sal." "C'mon, Honey. You can't beat the classics. The old school." "Yeah. It's just like taking a 2D platform adventure and bringing it into the 3D world. Sure, it looks prettier and more emersive, and it'll have its fanbase, but nothing beats a goooooood retro romp. I'd rather have some old school 'mania' than sit through a modern experience that 'forces' its way down your throat with stale mechanics and one unique gimmick." "I feel like that's a compliment to something and a slight on something else, Vi. But I don't know what." I narrowed my eyes. Asriel shrugged. "Sounds familiar to me, too, but I can't place it." "Probably something we should feel insulted over," Honey crossed her arms. "Don't think too deep into it." Willamina assured. A bit more exloration and more of Violet making suttle insinuations of video game tropes, memes, and moments that somehow correlated with what were doing, seeing, hearing, and experiencing. When all was experienced down to the last grain of sand, the last blade of grass, and the last flower petal, we took the boats back and returned to the Rabbotou Clan's Shiba Temple Mansion. Sub-Entry 128: "Setsubun Celebration/Bunnie Needs Some Alone Time: It had been a few days by this point. Bunnie, Megami, Usagi, and Nikita served as our guides all over Jang. From Dairiseki to Haru no niwa. From Meiro to Seikou. Even a visit to an abandoned factory known as Haihin-nou left to be overtaken by the flora to such an extent that it had become its own garden. It eventually came to be February 3rd. Which meant... "Sensei. It's Setsubun!" Asriel was first to speak up the night before. "Yes. It will be a change to not serve as toshitoko for my clan." "Yeah...you okay with being a spectator?" "Yes. I am...overdue. I spent so much time serving as acting patriarch of the Rabbotou Clan since father and mother's passing that I never got to enjoy time as what I always was; a girl. I have the middle name "Meiru"--phoenetically mail or male whichever situation applies. In this case I've been a tomboy so long I sometimes forget my own gender." "Well...there's no shame in being non-binary, right? If you want to enjoy the best of both worlds, you should. If you want to splash around in mud puddles and embrace the masculine, do it. If you want to wear a dress and acknowledge you are a woman, do so. You are who you want to be, sensei." Bunnie chuckled. "When did you acquire so much wisdom, Asriel-kun?" "Since I became your student." "Fair point. But even wisdom is not merely acquired by personal experience. It is also passed down from those who've experienced it themselves." "Yeah...you've had a lot of teachers. A lot of them I'll probably never get to meet. Some I can't because..." "Yeah. May they be keeping father and mama company in the afterlife." It was the most amount of emotion I had heard from Bunnie. Definitely the most Asriel had known. If Violet was keeping her mouth shut about it, that told it like it was. "I think Wrench is eager to get in on those fuku mame." Asriel noted the sudden passenger atop his head. "He'll feast as never before." Bunnie nodded. Maybe it was just me...but while I sensed she was in a happy place...it was though she was hiding something else from us. Something more personal. I think Asriel sensed it too but like me...he was keeping it to himself. It was a bit of a trek to the place in question. And it was a lot bigger than the ones Bunnie held back home. The turnout was impossibly large. "How can there be so many people in a place as small as Jang?" "It's got one of the largest population densities in the world. A lot of people packed into a small place." "I've also noticed the climate has been all over the place. Back in Hyoubou, it was a snow-covered paradise, but in that one place you compared to that "Okinawa" place on various Earth AU's, it was like summer." "Because Jang is long, it crosses many climates." "Just like the various Japan incarnations of Earth AU's." I noted. The ceremony was familiar if not done a lot more lavishly and impressively. "鬼わ外！福わ内 ! 鬼わ外！福わ内 ! 鬼わ外！福わ内 ! 鬼わ外！福わ内 !" "I heard that." I gave a thumbs up. "Foxy would approve." Mitzi, now familiar with the translation was enwrapped in the splendor of it all. When the crowds died down... "Well. Go to it, boy." Asriel turned Wrench loose and let him eat soybeans to his heart's content. "Awesome." We soon headed back but it wasn't long after returning to the temple we noticed... "Hey...did anybody see where Buns went to?" Violet noted. "Huh? She slipped away after we returned from the Setsubun festival?" I knew she could disappear pretty quickly, but I wasn't expecting her to do so. Maybe I should have. "Does anyone have any idea where she went?" Shrugs all around. Megami seemed pensive. "Megami? Do you know something?" Nikita translated. "Master Rabbotou just has...some personal affairs to take care of." "Personal affairs?" I cocked my head. Sally looked off to the side. Yeah...she knew something too. Unbeknownst to us, Bunnie had begun a solo trek to a place that was meant for her and her alone. She took a look at the path ahead, put in the earbuds Violet had given her long ago and checked her small media player. The display read "Great Southern Land" by Icehouse. If ever a more fitting song. As the song played Bunnie internalized the lyrics in her mind. As if by Destiny and Fate's will, the landscape mirrored the context of her journey. Standing at the limit of an endless ocean Stranded like a runaway lost at sea Bunnie's trek along the shore was just the begining. City on a rainy day down in the harbor Watching as the gray clouds shadow the bay She passed through another port town as it had started raining. She looked up briefly at the overcast weather as the precipitation was pulled to the ground by gravity. Looking everywhere 'cause I had to find you This is not the way that I remember it here Anyone will tell you it's a prisoner island Hidden in the summer for a million years What was to remember? She was only four when these memories were made. So much of her childhood. She'd been cheated out of it. Despite the fact that it was February, it was indeed summer weather once she had left the town and continued on. Great Southern Land Burned you black This was Bunnie's great southern land. It wasn't her mother's home country but it was in fact the far south of Jang. As the sun had risen, it beat down on her. How quickly the climate changed. So you look into the land, it will tell you a story Story about a journey ended long ago In record time she had made it to the mountains, pondering the path of her life. The journey that had ended was childhood innocence. It had ended far too soon. Listen to the motion of the wind in the mountains Maybe you can hear them talking like I do Bunnie closed her eyes, having reached the summit, surrounded by snowcap. Despite her gi and sandals, she ignored the harsh conditions. They're gonna betray you, they're gonna forget you Are you gonna let them take you over that way? No. Bunnie would not let Fate decide what would come of her life. She would not be betrayed by this place that she once called home. Her destiny was hers and hers alone. Great Southern Land Great Southern Land You walk alone Like a primitive man Solitude. That was the word. While not a primative man, Bunnie was embracing the old ways. She could easy teleport with her martial science. But that was not the point of this. And they make it work With sticks and bones Bunnie eyed the skeletal remains of a long-since-dead vulture as she had reached a wasteland. See their hungry eyes It's a hungry home Bunnie watched as abandoned vulture hatchlings chirped, crying out for nourishment. But no one came. I hear the sound Of the strangers' voices I see their hungry eyes Their hungry eyes What Bunnie was hearing was only in her imagination. The cries of the slaughtered on the battlfield. A great war in Jang's distance past had once taken place here. Now there were only the spirits of the fallen. Samurai. Civilians. Guilty. Innocent. Truly a wretch place, forgotten by time. Great Southern Land Great Southern Land They burned you black Black against the ground Bunnie sighed and continued on. Standing at the limit of an endless ocean Stranded like a runaway lost at sea City on a rainy day down in the harbor Watching as the gray clouds shadow the bay Looking everywhere 'cause I had to find you This is not the way that I remember it here Anyone will tell you it's a prisoner island Hidden in the summer for a million years How long had this land been secluded? Great Southern Land In the sleeping sun You walk alone With the ghost of time Abandoned train tracks stretching for miles. The bullet train that once ran this way was now in a scrap yard. Bunnie pressed on, the presence of an unknown Grim Reaper hovering over her, waiting to see if she would give up her soul and let her struggles come to and end. But she refused. Well, they burned you black Black against the ground And they make it work With rocks and sand The lands continued to change I hear the sound Of the strangers' voices I see their hungry eyes Their hungry eyes Bunnie passed through the city slums in the "Geddo District" Homeless beggers looked upon her for sympathy. She granted what few Ryo she had before she had no choice but to shake her head and move on. Great Southern Land Great Southern Land "..." You walk alone Like a primitive man Bunnie began this journey alone and she would finish it alone. You walk alone With the ghost of time Her determination was too strong. And the wraith that watched the sands of the hourglass fall was dismissed, dissipating from this plane of existence to seek another soul to bring across the Sanzu River. And they burned you black Yeah, they burned you black Great Southern Land Great Southern Land Great Southern Land "I'm here." At least she reached her destination. She removed the ear buds and stowed the music player into her anime subspace pocket. A lone place...a cemetary reserved only for a very specific clan. A number of headstone markers. Some were full-scale shrines with ceremonia incense. Others with offerings. Bunnie found two that stood out. Far more humble than the rest. Akira "Shiroshi" Rabbotou. Anna May Fields-Rabbotou. "Tosa...father." A long pause. "Mamma." The graves were very much empty. But the presence of headstones was no less meaningful had corpses actually been buried there. "I have returned." Bunnie must've chosen to speak in Common for her mother's sake. While she was more eager to embrace her father's lifestyle and culture, she was no less respectful to the Souther Belle that was Anna May. "I've...been busy. I apologize for that. I should have...come sooner." It was as though anything "robotic" about her had shut down and what was left was pure emotion. This was a rare thing. Bunnie had surpressed this side of herself for so long. Bunnie unstrapped the sheathed katana from her back, resting it in her lap and her open palms. "I return what was rightfully yours, father. It is a fang that has not tasted battle...not tasted blood... since...that day. That day I used it without your permission to fulfill my duty. A life taken. And a life saved. Am I in error to believe that there is balance? That protecting the Princess atones for slaying a man? I regret that I have not brought it into battle with me. My...sentiment to preserve it was too strong. However not so strong that I would neglect to maintain it over the years. I have properly sharpened and polished it. Restored its grip and sheath." Bunnie rested it up against the gravestone. "Do not think less of your daughter for holding so tightly to the past. But to cling to it further would only distract me from the future." Bunnie turned to the other grave. "Mamma...I...I wasn't as close to you as I should have been. I...slighted your lifestyle...the way you spoke...your informal mannerisms. I should not have done that. It is superficial to say that I loved you and father equally. But I still have regrets that I did not put forth the effort to prove it through action. I...I accept that I am half Southern Belle. That somewhere in me you live on. I suppose what I am really saying is..." Bunnie slipped a rustic cowboy-ish hat from her sub-space pocket. "I just want to make peace with you. Despite how irate I may have been with you...you never faltered. You always smiled. You didn't mind that I wasn't a 'suh-thun gal' like you. You let me be who I wanted to be. You were always upbeat...always unflappable. I thank my lucky stars I had someone like you, who'd remind me that I am a woman, no matter how many patriachal responsibilities I took on. No matter how much I rebelled against gender roles." Bunnie set the hat on top of the gravestone. "I love you both so very much. Please be patient. My time will come one day. Even if I am destined for an immortal existence...nothing is absolute. When my role...my destiny has served its purpose, I will find my way back to you." Bunnie bowwed her head...the full-kowtowed. "You honor your fallen parents, Bunnie-chan." "!!!" Bunnie whirled. "Hmm...it would seem you were rather caught up in the moment. Normally you would have long since sensed my presence. Given the profoundness of the matter, I can...*ahem*...let this slide as Violet would put it." Bunnie looked her master in the eyes. "Master Splinter." "I had a feeling I would find you here." "But...what are you doing here, sensei?" "Once five years ago, you were there when cosmic forces aligned for us to bear witness to the fall of a warrior, teacher, and father. It is only right that I be there for you in your time of remembering the fallen. We have this in common. When Saki coveted my school from me...when I was banished for the disgrace he orchestrated upon me, I lost everything. My home. My family." "It was never told what became of your family. Rumors were that...the disgrace had convinced them to--" "We have spoken of the dead long enough. Memories may serve as our foundation, but if we spend to much time emersed in them, they become our anchors. One should not carry an anchor so far out to sea if they do not have a ship to return on." "I think I understand the metaphor. Now that I am...aware of my surroundings, though...is it not time that you make your presense known?" Asriel stepped out into the open. "How did you know?" "Perhaps I was merely...picking up on the pattern laid out half a decade ago...but at the same time...I felt that my sensei would need a guiding light." "I'm...sorry to intrude upon a place that's so personal to you, sensei." "No. You have as much right to be here as I do. You are like Splinter-sensei and myself. You know what it's like." Asriel looked off to the side. "To lose everything. To be orphaned." "I was a young man in his twenties when I became the sole Hamato." "I was in my teens when Vortex took them from me." "I was only ten, disregarding the century in the Void with Gaster. He showed me...partially obscured images from the Underground. I know...something...exterminated Monsterkind...my mother, Toriel...my father, Asgore. But I couldn't make out what that thing was. It was no monster I had ever seen. Our world ended shortly after the last monster fell at their hands. Gaster told me knowing the truth about it would do me no good. After that I...just kind of shut down and gave up...I waited to die, until Volt found me. I suppose he's right in a way. Even knowing who or what did the deed...I don't think it would do me any good. It's not like I could do anything about it. Nor will I ever meet that creature. And even if I had back then, I'd probably die just like mom and dad. Volt doesn't know about it. I should have told him but...he didn't look like he needed more worries back then." "Young one...there was a proverb once that you can not truly know a person until you know their pain...feel their pain." "I used to wish that pain owould go away, Master Splinter. But now...now that I'm wiser, I realize I need my pain. That pain...is proof that I'm alive. Proof that I've endured. Proof that I can keep going on. Understanding and sharing a person's pain is what lets me connect to them." "You have learned well, my student." "Indeed you have." Asriel looked down and sighed before turning to Bunnie. "It feels like...there's always this thick fog over my memory and I can't see through it." "You're lucky. Every day my memories feel like a curse. It's better to be pure, Asriel-san." Asriel looked down, pondering. "I know...I came from the Underground...underneath Mount Ebott. I know that I was part of a world once...but...there's this feeling inside...that I lost the right to that world; maybe by my choice to agree to Chara's plan...but because I didn't follow through with it...I was given a second chance. But for that to happen--" "You had to lose a part of yourself over 100 years." "...yes." Bunnie was silent. "Bunnie-sensei, it's only been five years but I feel the world that I was born into slipping away slowly. I know that I've been told to look forward and not look back, especially at my young age......but it's like something is drawing me back to that. Something inside won't let me let go. Chara and I have both resolved our issues but...what if there's more. Something that I'm not seeing. It's a feeling...like Chara was protecting me from something I didn't see. When I think about that, I realize...it could be one of the things Volt is keeping secret. It's a dead end for me. A dead end until I'm ready to know the truth." "Asriel-san...you've always been wise beyond your years. That wisdom may very well have gone untapped in your place of birth. In that "Void" that was a prison for you and Dr. Gaster. Something about our world brought out your inner potential and the more I see of it, the more I realize it may be greater than we anticipated." "I...think you're over-selling it. I'm just...me." "Am I?" Bunnie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Think of all that you have accomplished and all of the powers you have gained, all the knowledge you have. Think of how your vocabularly has absolutely skyrocketed. Think of all the friends you have where once you were shrouded in solitude. This is an unfolding destiny that is not granted to just anyone. While some may be our world's gift to you, you have most certainly worked and earned the rest." "I'd rather you not say I deserve it. The more I think about that word, the more it troubles me. I didn't deserve to be a prisoner inside the Core but it happened. I didn't deserve this second chance at a new life but it was given to me. Two sides of the same coin." Bunnie bowed her head. "You seem to have picked up the ability to overthink things from the Commander. Let what things are be what they are." "I suppose that's the best I can do." "I...know this was supposed to be your me-time, but..." "It is of no consequence. This was...necessary." Bunnie turned to Splinter. "How long will you be spending on your pilgrammage to Jang?" "I will remain as long as I need to. While I have my own path to follow, Bunnie-chan, I will be there if you need me. You know how to summon me for any reason." "Yes." "We should get back to the others and reassure them." "Yes, we should, Asriel." "Grand Master." Asriel bowwed formally. Splinter returned the bow. Bunnie did the same and received a bow in return. "Until we meet again." "Sayanora." "Sayanora." Sub-Entry 129: "A Day and a Night in Eki Hiroba": To the capital city we go. But a select few of us decided to make a return trip to the port. I neglected to mention I had arranged for my car and Asriel's to be loaded onto the Solaris. We had taken Asriel's to the docks; the 57' Chevy had been sent there ahead of time. "Finally. I was getting tired of being a goat without wheels." I shrugged off the moment. It reminded me too much of something else that other Asriel's had said. Yeah...still couldn't shake that final boss battle. "That car suits you." Gadget giggled as she rode along with me. "Just us and stretches of twisting and turning highways. I dreamed of doing this--" "After Violet introduced you to the Fast and Furious movies?" "Eheheheh...I plead the fifth." "Cute." We were free to drive them around, once Bunnie had made the necessary arrangements and took care of legal matters and such. Asriel and I decided to take a drive to our intended destination while everyone else took a bullet train there. As it turned out it was far more crowded than the one out to Midori no Oka. "Ungh...this was a mistake..." Jon complained, panting heavily; tongue wagging. "I'm gonna go nuts from the claustrophobia." Sally's eye was twitching. Lupe kinda moaned. It was no cave but it was a cramped, enclosed space and it was doing nothing for her fear. Everyone else had their own reservations. "Gaaaah! This suuuuuuucks!" Red complained. He got fewer looks and stares than I would have guessed an R-Series bio-engineered life form with shark teeth would have gotten. "Probably a good idea that we didn't invite Valerie to this. As soon as she got bored, she'd get a little more...uh...murder-y." Jon slid his gaze to the side. Somewhere Papyrus just sneezed. That was when Bunnie heard the unmistakable sound of the window being opened. "Really, old friend?" "Far be it for me to say, but this bullet train is too slow. Time for sight-seeing the Team Acorn Way!" And sure enough, Tengu Suits deployed, Team Acorn climbed out and took off in formation. "WOOO-HOOOOO!!!" "You know this time I'm less surprised." Another window opened. "And Violet is right on cue." Bunnie lowered any eyebrow before turning. Sure enough Violet had left the training with jet pack fired up but what Bunnie WASN'T expecting. "Mitzi?" "Forgive me, sensei but...I kinda want to check up on Gadget. Besides I think that's where the others are headed." "I'm with Sal!" Red climbed out and followed with the Null Armor deploying. "How did we lose control of this, Bunnie?" Lupe's ears drooped. "We really must expect these things." Out came the cameras and the chatter among the population in the train. "Annnnnd you guys just became internet sensations." Jon shrugged. "Pit. You might as well go after them to make sure they stay out of trouble." "Y-y-yes, Major." Pit saluted and climbed out, spreading his wings. More photos and more excited chatter. Yeah. Elsewhere I was letting Asriel take the lead just so he could test out his car's performance. I wasn't that worried but the fear was in back of my mind that he was a teenager. Plus he had been trained by Chameleon's reckless wolf ab-human of a gofer, Ripper. Gods the Stunt Driving exhibition was coming back to me. At least there were no loop-de-loops out here. Before I knew it, though... "Hey, ya Commander!" "S-Sally?!" Sally had literally dropped into the back seat of the car. "Wha...what are you doing here. I thought you were going with Bunnie and the others!" "Hi, Miss Sally!" "Hey ya, Gadget. Wanted to check in on how my favorite driving student's handling the hairpins." "Azzy is doing just fine. Sally, seriously! What were you--" I noticed Team Acorn flying beside us at the moment. And Mitzi soaring on LBK-Alpha. "...this is highly irregular." "Damn right it is!" "Red joined you? Of course Red joined you. Is there anyone who didn't abandon ship...er...bullet train?" "Commander! I apologize but the Major sent me--" I sighed. "All is forgiven, Pit. But we're going to have a talk about this. All of us--" I was cut off as a high performance street racer shot by us and quickly overtook Asriel. "Wha--!" "Oh no he didn't." Sally narrowed her eyes." "Must be one of the Jangese locals. He was really torque-in'." Willie raised an eyebrow. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Azzy made eye contact. You know what that means!" Honey grinned. "No! No! I forbid this!" I pounded my fist on the edge of the steering wheel, careful not to cause any damage. "Too late! It's done!" Sally cracked her knuckles. "And with Ripper not here to see this. Go on, kid. Show em' what you got." "Asriel, NO!" I watched as goat son's car took on a burst of speed and took off after his opponent. "Initial Dreemurr revival, baby!" Team Acorn fist pumped. "Oh yeah ! Oh HELL YEAH!" Red watched, crossing his arms and maintaining his speed. "Uhh..." Pit landed in the back seat of the 57' Chevy and folded up his wings. "Is this normal mortal behavior." "It's irresponsible mortal behavior!" I watched as both cars challenged each other, taking the hairpin turns at less-than-safe speeds. "Look at him go!" Mitzi watched, riding Laserbeak in hoverglider form. "You're missing the point, Mitzi! If Scott and Callie find out out this--!" At that point Asriel and the othe driver went into a U-bend hairpin curve; both going into a drift, perfectly parallel to each other before slingshotting into the next stretch. "Whoah! Did you see that!" Some Jangese onlookers, hiking the path on the side of the road were taken by the sight. "その紫色の車は素晴らしいです！ 誰がそれを運転しているの？" "ターンの奇妙なドリフトは最高です！それは他の車で得ている！" "それは深刻なピックアップを持っている！ それだけでレールを逃しました!" Red grinned a shark-toothed grin. "Eddie built one monster of a car there! It's got some freakin' horses under the hood!" "Azzy just missed eating guard rail by centimeters!" "Ugh...lots of luck explaining that to Ed and Roy if he had made contact with it..." I sped up to try to keep pace. Key word: try. I wasn't about to activate the twin-turbos, blowers, and nitrous oxide mecha-morph just to do that. I did mention my engine was built from tech from Galvan Enterprises, right? I wonder if Azzy had the same, the way his car was performing. At the same time we were in awe. Asriel remained stonefaced, an expression bordering on mundane but with the eyes of an cold-blooded assassin. "A good point of attack would be.......on the five hair-pin turns coming up." He said offhandedly as he toggled between downshifting and working the accelerator, brake, and clutch. Huh. He drives stick impressively. By the third hairpin, Asriel speed up, shooting past the blue and purple car, taking to the inside and hugging the rail. And somehow he did so without the car making contact with it. As tight as that turn was...he should have at least lost a few paint chips. "スピードアップ！ ブレーキは死んだのですか？!" "とんでもない！！！" "That's how it's done! Ripper would be proud." "Nah. Asriel hasn't jumped it between two skyscrapers like that one movie--" "Will you two stop encouraging him!" Some time later Asriel drifted to a stop. The other car followed. "Ohh crap. Here comes the chewing out and the argument that escalates..." I whined as I hustled to reach the outskirts of the city. Both drivers exited their cars and stormed right up to each other. The other guy was definitely dressed punkish, down to the leather jacket. "I better get the raw steaks out for the black eyes that are coming--" As if on cue both tightened a fist, drew back...! ...and suddenly ended with a strong gripping handshake. Like the cover of a Double Dragon game. "Wha...what just happened?" "尊敬。" The Jangese human driver nodded. Asriel nodded with a cocky smirk. "尊敬。" "What he say?" I had pulled into a stop and tried out Violet's translator app. "Respect. .....huh." I looked at the translation. A bit later and we were all back on our way. "I hope the others are having as much fun as we are." Some time later... "You had quite an adventure out." Nikita deadpanned, crossing her arms. "Uh..what makes you say that?" Asriel rubbed the back of his head. Violet had chosen to find her own path to the city rather than follow Sally and the others. She held up her smart phone showing the amateur internet video taken of us by the onlookers from earlier. "Man, I chose wrong. I missed all the action." She crossed her legs as she hovered in place with her jet pack. "Don't you have anything to say, Major?" A bit of silence before... "Nice drifting." A smirk. "Majoooooooor!!!" I rolled my eyes. "Well. Welcome to Eki Hiroba, Jang." Bunnie put her hands on her hips and turned to the massive bustling city. The shere number of giant jumbotron TV's on skyscrapers, neon signs, display and such (but all in Jangese) was fit to compare to the Las Vegas strip and Time Square of the many Earths. "Okay, if we are going at this on our own, each take a guide and a translator app and meet back at here at Tsubuyaku Park." Bunnie pointed to the glass building with the glass walkway the lead into, of all things, a pretty self-contained amusement park. A lot of attractions, a castle, a hall of mirrors, a funhouse, and a roller coaster that wrapped around it all crammed into an impossibly small space. "That'll be fun!" Mitzi rubbed her hands. "Yaaay! An amusement park, too!" Gadget jumped for joy. "Hey, Usagi. Couples get in freeeee!" Violet pointed as she tugged on his arm. Usagi raised an eyebrow. This was all to familiar somehow. We all spread out and enjoyed our time. Mitzi, Honey, Vidian, and Ivy hit the shopping districts with Megami. Violet, Rotor, Gadget, and I headed to the electronics and appliance outlets. Jon and Rotor looked for the first place that offered fish and sushi. The rest of us all divided up into our niches. It wasn't long before Sally and Team Acorn drew a crowd. Being an OGPX celebrity had its perks. Autographs and selfies ensued. Out of all of us Asriel, was the only one who decided to go it alone. Just to cut his teeth on his Jangese lessons and try his luck at being his own man for a time. While he assured me he could take care of himself, which I didn't doubt...I still worried. Time really does fly when you're having fun and before long we all reconnoitered back at Tsubuyaku Park. Suffice to say we acquired a lot of stuff and fashion upgrades. "So. How'd everyone make out." "Somehow Antoine became the mascot for chewing gum." This seems equally familiar. I had a feeling I would have to talk to Raven back in Jump City... "When they say all-you-can-eat..." Rotor patted his belly. Jon unleashed a massive belch. "Really, son-in-law?" "It was even better the second time around!" He wagged his tail. "Ewww." I wrinkled my nose. "So much fashion! I'm inspired to create when I get back to Technopolis!" Honey had stars in her eyes. "I can't wait to hit the karaoke scene. I'm gonna show you girls how it's done." Willie looked confident. "Don't count your chickens before their hatch, Willamina-chan. You may have stiff competition." Bunnie looked over to where Mitzi crossed her arms and smirked. Megami waved. "Megami? Do you even sing, bro?" Willie mused. Megami was silent...but smiling. Bunnie was wearing a grin that looked like she knew something. "...okaaay..." "Dude, this place is rad! I got soo much stuff to bring home. The kids are gonna love it." Somehow Monique had found her way to Jang and met up with with Red. Guess you can't keep a good harpy down, half-way across the world. "Get a room." Honey teased as the two of them started to get intimate. The VARS sisters had become quick celebrities in a short amount of time. Guess a lot of people mistook them for cosplayers. "I have been to sooooo many cons!" Violet was loaded up with impossible amounts of anime and video game swag. "You got in and out of that many anime and gamer conventions that quick? Those places are packed in like sardines." Asriel raised an eyebrow. "I'm juuuust. Thaaaat. Gooooood." Violet gave her best Paul "Triple H" Levisque impression. "Uh-huh." NIkita crossed her arms with deadpan. As much as I'd like to speculate that she was banned from them all? I'd prefer not to know over knowing and groaning about it. "Hmm?" Asriel pulled out his cell-phone. "Got a text from Satoshi." "The guy you raced?" "Seems I'm an honorary part of his racing club. Says that if I ever come back to Jang, he's up for a rematch in the midnight hours." "Unsanctioned street racing? Eheheh...let's hold of on that for a long, long time." I advised. Just what we needed. Goat Son making a shot for shot remake of the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Good grief. "Your Jangese reading and speaking has really impoved, Asriel-kun." "You're going to be as fluent as the trio here." Vi pointed a thumb to Bunnie, Megami, and Nikita. "Oh stop!" Asriel modestly dismissed it. "So. Amusement park, everyone?" Grin from goat son. "WOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Asriel soared down the track of the roller coaster as it wound around the castle spires and went up and down and loop-de-looped. Pretty elaborate track for something so squeezed in there. "Rotor! Are you FISHING in the--!" Rotor yanked his line out of the giant water fountain. A weird-looking frog had grabbed onto the end of his line before somehow getting free and hopping off. "Eh-heh..." Ivy stared blankly at the trick mirror reflection while Vidian flat out scowled. Their moment was broken up as Mitzi and Gadget laughed and pointed at each other's reflections. "At least they're enjoying themselves." Vidian smoldered. Asriel and I later found the giant indoor bowling alley. And when I say giant I mean far bigger than normal bowling pins. But the real kicker was that each of us had to be the ball--while inside life-sized, clear human hamster balls. Suffice to say there were a lot of strikes and plenty of dizzyness to spare. Hah. 'Spare'. Sally, Lupe, and Bunnie challenged the rest of Team Acorn and Lulu to dodgem cars. But things took an even weirder twist when the dodgem car timer expired and the gate on the other side of the arena opened up to a giant slide track, turning it into a race. Seriously. I know I've seen this before, somewhere. "Eat my dust, girls!" "Not if you eat mine first, Sally!" "You're going down!" "Most...envigorating!" By the time we finished up it was lunch time and we left the park to hit a cafe. Of course we found a burger place that was suspiciously like that fast food chain with the double golden arch logo and the funky clown mascot. Yeah. You know the one. "We're having a lot of burgers on this trip. I was expecting more oriental cuisine." I noted. "Who's complaining?" Jon stufed his maw with another three of four burgers before having his fill. "Arlene is going to have a field day with you, J.T." I shook my head. We arranged for some hotel rooms else where so we could enjoy the night life before heading back to Rabbotou Temple in the morning. Once night came, the party went on full swing. Inevitably we'd find ourselves at the largest gaming arcade center in the city. You totally arranged this, Violet. Admit it. Team Acorn went head-to-head-to-head on the D.D.R. sims. "Best 9 of 13?" Honey panted while Willie soaked in the praise of the high score. I'd seen Violet and Bunnie trade off on many pachinko machines and fighting tournament games. Asriel and I hit the pinball tables. The kitsunes made quite a splash in a music video maker booth; uploading a few of their best to the Jang internet. They trended lightning quick. It ultimately came down to the karaoke challenge. Mitzi set the bar with her own rendition of "Venus" by Bananarama. Willamina broke her score with "Hole in My Heart (That Goes All the Way to China)" by Cindi Lauper. Violet didn't quite make the high score but managed to put on a show to "Straight Up vs. Ice Ice Baby" mix by Paula Abdul x Vanilla Ice. But none of us were prepared for Megami to blow everyone away with Puffy Ami-Yumi's version of "The Night Begins to Shine". "Okay. So...she can sing." Willamina sweatdropped. And she drew a massive crowd as she shattered the high score and put on the best dance show I had ever seen. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it? "You were awesome, Miss Megami!" Asriel complimented. A giggle and a peace sign. Before long the whole night had slipped away and we retired to the hotel super late. Sub-Entry 130: "Sayanora, Jang. Edoropia Awaits" A whole week had gone by. And yet Vacation was only half over. "Shame to pack up so soon. I was really starting to like it here." Lupe secured the plants that she had acquired. "C'mon, everyone. Don't act like the fun is ending. It's just getting started. Now the real party starts! I'm takin' us all the Little Tokyo for a bash you'll never be forgetting!" Violet urged. "We had some great times." "Took some great pictures." "Became celebrities in our own way." "And made some memories." Asriel looked on. "Your home is wonderful, sensei. I'm coming back here some day. Just you wait. It'll be incredible." "I know you will, Asriel-kun." "So...Master Splinter?" "He will remain behind for as long as his pilgrammage lasts. Then he will return to the city of him and his four students." "Tell him to bring back lots of pizza!" "You know he doesn't like pizza, Vi." "Not for him. For them!" "Oh. Yeah..." Rare for Bunnie to miss one like that. I guess she still had lingering sentiments regarding her visit to her parents' graves. "Hey, it'll be okay. They're watching over you." Bunnie nodded. Once everyone was accounted for on the Solaris, we double-checked our gear and made sure the cars were secure. "What a ride." I collapsed into the lawn chair. I high-fived Asriel as he headed to meet up with Drew at the helm. "Any time you're ready, Goat Son." Asriel pulled out Esteban's medallion, unlatched the coin and inserted it and let his solar powers do the rest. "All aboard that's going aboard!" Once even Antoine was safely aboard, the ship left the harbor. Once out to sea Nikita dropped the guise. Okay, was it me or was this ship still evolving? I swear it was not this technologically advanced after we had it sent to Miranda Harbor from the museum. It was looking less like a European sailing ship and more like an extremely futuristic Oriental junk. "Were these circuit paths and chaser lights always here?" I looked over the side of the ship. Sure it was still solid gold, but I could see machinery and gravity tech peeking out from the seems, cracks, and what I thought were metallurgical welds. Wait a minute. The Solaris was practically monolythic back in the museum. Now it was like it was Cybertronian. "Dr. Lynx you really gotta explain your modifications." "Another time, Commander." She brushed me off. "Huh." Again Antoine hung over the rail, sea sick. "Oh Antoine! Look at!" Violet grinned as she convinced Rotor to bite the head off a fish at that very second. "!!!!!!" A yelp, a wretch, and Antoine gave it the ole 'heave' ho. "Dude. You're the Vominator! You're Heave-ille Knievel! You're the Duke of Hurl!" "Please to be stop-eeng, Madamoiselle...I am zee...how you 'zay...chunking." A few hearty whaps on the back and Violet had made him feel even worse. "You are so going to Hell." Ivy deadpanned. "When I get there, I can tell them I took the highway there." Violet mimicked revving a motorcycle before strolling off, while singing the lyrics to "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. I shook my head and laid back putting my sunglasses back on. Asriel took a lawnchair next to mine, already in swimming trunks. "This trip away from home and work did you some good, best friend." "Yeah...it really did." "But you're still going to be worried about other matters?" "I'm not going to change who I am any time soon. I worry. It's apparently a sign of potential. It's why Bunnie defers leadership to me, despite how much better at it she seems." "It's not her place, you know. Her family was born to serve not be served. It must be a challenge letting Usagi be caretaker and custodian to her temple like some sort of butler." "I know. But...she has so much more confidence in what she does than I have in what I do." "Don't be hard on yourself, Volt. You're doing the best you can." "Thanks." "Now...I'm going to enjoy that sun for a bit before I take up Rotor and Red on their cannonball contest. "Oh, you..." I mused with a silly grin. "Here's to more new adventures in Little Tokyo, Edoropia." "Brace yourself for the crazy, Goat Son. Brace yourself for the crazy. Chapter 14 Back to Part 1 Back To Part 2 Back to Project Lost Dreemurr Next